Bane Style Facemasks Banned By The NFL, Because The NFL Hates Fun

"Why aren't comics fun anymore" is one of the biggest complaints you'll hear about the current state of the comic industry, with some readers pining for the days when comics weren't as "dark." But if you follow the football, you know for a fact that no one, anywhere, hates fun quite like the NFL. Case in point, the NFL -- or the No Fun League, if you want to go by its official name -- has recently banned players from using facemasks inspired by the mask worn by Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. That, right there, is the very definition of hating fun.

The new season starts tomorrow (well, technically it started Thursday), and you won't be seeing very many of the types of masks worn last season by players like the Ravens' Ray Lewis, the Giants' Justin Tuck and Chris Canty, and the Colts' Robert Mathis. This preseason Washington's Brian Orakpo debuted a similar mask, while stating in no uncertain terms that the mask was inspired by Bane's look in the film. Brian McCarthy, a spokesman for the No Fun League, told NFL.com via email that the masks are " considered a prohibited non-standard customized face mask," and therefore cannot be worn unless a player is given medical clearance. Translation: "We hate fun." Alas.